Erling Pohls chose to start his building career not because his father was a builder, he chose construction because he was and is fascinated by trigonometry. Problem solving and attention to detail are innate in the brain of Erling. There are very few issues he hasn't dealt with before and he is always staying up to date with new building code changes and new methods and materials.

Erling's grandfather, Hans C.D. Skytt, was one of the original Danish settlers in 1911 and he was the builder they brought to start the town of Solvang. Erling's father Holger Pohls worked as a carpenter for Hans until he started his own contracting business that Erling then took over once Holger retired. Many of the original structures including the Bethania Lutheran Church, and Theaterfest were built by Erling, his father, an uncle or his grandfather.

At first meeting, he may seem gruff and aloof, but once you know him, he'll break into a funny story, usually involving some equestrian mishap on one of his trail rides with Santa Barbara Trail Riders or Frontier Boys. If you really want to get him going, bring up wine tasting, photography, fast cars or traveling.

erling pohls

Son of a Son of a Builder

Nobody tackles rough situations like Jim Elliott; he'll risk breaking himself in two to get a job done. He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and comes from a hard working, entrepreneurial family. He is an avid horseman and professional builder.

As a member of the visiting rancher association, aka the Rancheros Vistadores, he grew to love the Santa Ynez Valley and eventually found himself living here in the late 1980s. He has become a fixture in the SYV and most people that don’t know him have heard about his integrity and commitment to excellence.

Building and renovating commercial and residential properties is just another day to this Wrangler. If you are concerned about meeting stringent quality and time constraints for a project, give this guy a call. There is no stopping him from getting the job done for you.

JIM ELLIOTT

THE WRANGLER

MICHAEL ELLIOTT

The Next Generation

Michael Elliott arrived at the company in 2014 and was brought in as the Chief Operating Officer. Erling told Mike that he was the life blood that will keep this company relevant into the future, no pressure. 

When Erling’s wife retired from the CFO position, Mike stepped into that role as well. He is always working to ensuring the company is up to date on the latest project management and accounting techniques and software tools. Quality and efficiency is a top priority for Mike and he brings his best efforts everyday to these tasks. 

Mike’s after work life includes beaches, horses and golf courses. A life longer skier and snowboarder, this keeps him in the mountains when he is able and he also enjoys traveling with his two sons, Liam and Luke.